Awhile ago I posted on the subject of professional certifications here on Who Stole My Stapler.  I don’t have one and have never felt the need to get one in the past.  While I am quite happy with my career (both where I’ve been and where I am) I have been starting to wonder if getting a certification in my area might be a good idea for where I want to be in the future.

I received some great feedback on my original post on the subject and based on those comments I dabbled around on the internet looking for more information about becoming a Certified Business Analyst Professional (CBAP).   I have also done more generic research on the benefits of being certified.  While it all made perfectly good sense to me none of the information I read pushed me over the edge to go after my certification.

That changed last week when my CEO pushed me over the edge.

I like to think that I work for a fairly progressive company.  We are certainly a family-friendly environment and without a doubt there is fun being had in the office.   So you shouldn’t be surprised when I tell you that our CEO maintains a blog.  As much as I would love to link you to it, his blog is only available internally.  Despite that fact I am going to go out on a limb and share with you the one sentence out of one of Harry Debes’ recent blog posts that pushed me DIRECTLY over the edge:

“You’re not a lawyer unless you have passed the bar exam and remain in good standing.”

Kids, I had a major AH-HA! moment when I read those words.

I have an attorney.  I have had an attorney for many years and I ADORE MY ATTORNEY.  She is so knowledgeable and I trust her to infinity and beyond.  Granted, much of my adoration for her is because over the years she has done wonderful work for me.  That said, one of the reasons she does good work for me is because she has taken the time to do her homework to stay current on changes in the law.  She has made time for classes and exams and research and self-study.  If she didn’t stay current she would not be a good attorney and right now she ISN’T a good attorney.

SHE IS A GREAT ATTORNEY.

I would not trust someone with less training or experience to be my attorney so why should my employer trust a business analyst that doesn’t take the time to keep their skills fresh?

So there you have it.  My CEO pushed me over the edge.  This morning I sat down with my manager and discussed what I need to do in terms of training to be able to take the certification exam later this year.

Do you think certification will make my head look big?